Mr. A. R. Wallace's Account of an Infant Orang-Utan. 387 



right thing at last, and wondering that all its exertions could 

 get no milk out of it. It would persevere for a long time till 

 at last it gave up with despair and disgust, indicated generally 

 by a very baby-like scream. 



When handled or nursed it was always quiet and contented, 

 but when laid down alone it would invariably cry, and the first 

 night or two was very restless. I fitted up a small box as its 

 cradle with a mat for it to lie upon, which was changed and washed 

 every day. I soon found it necessary to wash the little Mias 

 as well, which appeared to have very good effect. It winced a 

 little and made ridiculously wry faces when the cold water was 

 poured over its head, but enjoyed the rubbing dry amazingly, 

 and was particularly pleased at having the hair of its back, head 

 and legs brushed afterwards, during which operation it would 

 lie perfectly still as long as I liked to continue it. For the 

 first day or two it clung desperately with its four hands to what- 

 ever it could lay hold of, and having once unawares caught hold 

 of my whiskers and beard, it clutched them with its little hooked 

 fingers cruelly tight, and I had considerable difiiculty in getting 

 free. It doubtless felt quite at home, being accustomed to cling 

 from its birth to the long hair of its mother. 



When restless it would struggle about with its hands up to 

 catch hold of something, and might often be seen quite con- 

 tented when it had some bit of rag or stick grasped in two or 

 three of its hands. At other times it would take hold of its own 

 feet, and latterly its constant practice was to cross its arms like a 

 little Napoleon, and with each hand seize hold of the long hair 

 just below its opposite shoulder. The excessive tenacity of its 

 grasp however soon diminished. The constant and powerful 

 exercise of the limbs in the young Mias, remaining as it does for 

 many hours each day with the whole weight of its body sup- 

 ported by its four extremities from the body of its mother, 

 must induce a development of the limbs which can hardly take 

 place in confinement. We should therefore expect a considerable 

 difi^erence in the proportions of the limbs and body, between 

 animals brought up in a state of captivity and those killed in a 

 state of nature. 



I soon found that I could feed my infant Mias with a spoon, 

 and make its food rather more solid. I gave it soaked or chewed 

 biscuit with a little sugar and e^^, and sometimes sweet potatoes. 

 These it liked very mucli, and it was a never-failing source of 

 amusement to observe the curious changes of countenance by 

 which it would express its approval or dislike of what was given 

 it. It would lick its lips, draw in its cheeks, and turn up its 

 eyes with an expression of the most supreme satisfaction when 

 it had a mouthful particularly to its taste. On the other hand, 



25* 



